ME WORK SAMPLE
This document is the final report of my intermediate mechanical engineering design project. The basis of the project was to build a machine capable of accomplishing certain goals within a competitive field of other machines. The project and report were concluded in April of 2007 with an original audience of a group of professors. This project was a collaborative effort of which my part included, but was not limited to, the construction of the final technical report.
The competition was graded by scoring each machine on its performed action. Points were acquired by multiple, simultaneous actions. These included retrieveing balls from two fields (one moving), shooting balls into a rotating target, and knocking over and collecting bowling pins. Each team was provided with select motors (dc motors, actuators, circuit board) and allowed nothing further. Additionally, each team was required to remain within a $100 construction budget.
The report begins with a detailed description of what the machine needed to be capable of, and how it would be scored accordingly. These directions were provided by the judging staff and formed the basis for machine planning. Following this is a detailed description of the final design of my machine. The report provides both a broad, complete system description as well as detailed, individual sub-system descriptions. In order to fully explain the final design, all preliminary work was also included. This includes early design ideas, design comparisons, the budget and cost, and early competition trial results. Figures are also included to further explain certain sections.
The competition was a success for my group. Learning to collaborate with each other as a team, we were able to build a machine that advanced to the 38th heat of the "March Madness ME 2110" competition finishing in 11th place out of more than 80 teams.
ME Work Sample (PDF)
